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LIBRARY 


GIVEN  BY 


\^r  JL  ^  \  d  *A  'v\    \ 


EGLISE   SAINT-JEAN,   147,  Rl  E  DE  GRAXELLE,   PARIS 
BUREAU    FRANCO-AMERICAN 


The  Lutheran  Church 
In  Paris 


An  Historical  and 
Descriptive   Sketch 


BY 
Rev.  William  Wackernagel,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


With  a  Presentation  of  American  and 
French  Lutheran  Co-operation 


THE  GENERAL  COUNCIL  PUBLICATION  HOUSE 

1716  Arch  Street 

Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania 


1918 


Gift  of  the  PresiH«nt 

DEC  6-  m 

Copyright  1918,  by  the 

Board  of  Publication  of  the  General  Council 

of  the 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in  North  America 


All  rights  reserved 


\/     1 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  Lutherans  of  Paris  and  in  France  are  look- 
ing to  the  Lutherans  in  America  and  utter- 
ing a  Macedonian  Call,  "Come  over  and  help 
us."  They  are  an  important  link  in  the  polyglot 
Mother  Church  of  Protestantism  and  in  a  most 
peculiar  way  serve  in  these  trying  days  to  emphasize 
the  international  character  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
which  in  America  uses  more  languages  than  any 
other  Protestant  denomination  in  conducting  her 
servicas. 

French  Lutherans  are  brothers  in  a  common  cause 
and  needing  a  brotherly  helping  hand.  This  little 
volume  will  introduce  to  our  American  Lutherans 
these  faithful  adherents  to  the  Augsburg  Confes- 
sion— "the  Magna  Charta  of  Protestantism," — 
and  we  trust  serve  to  aid  in  cementing  the 
bonds  which  will  endure  and  make  their  cause  and 
the  cause  of  the  Church  in  America  a  common  one. 
Together  may  they  assure  the  maintenance  and  ex- 
tension of  evangelical  faith. 

To  this  end  this  little  book  is  historical,  descrip- 
tive and  missionary.  May  it  inform  and  may  it  serve 
in  the  extension  of  the  common  faith  and  in  the 
emphasis  of  our  common  brotherhood  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  W.  L.  H, 


CONTKxXTS 

PACR 


I  iitrodiK-t  i( 


(11  M'TKi;     I. 

How    l.utlicraiii^iii  Caiiic  to   P;iri>    9 

CIIAl'TKU    11. 

'J'lic  Liitlicnni  ('Imrcli  in  the  l)iiy>«of  Niipolcoii  I      14 

CMIAl'THH  HI. 
Strcii.titlu'iiiii^  the  Foinidations   24 

C'lIAI'TKW  iv. 
The    Poriod   of    Expansion    o3 

CIIAPTKR    V. 

Lutli(^rani-^m  Since  the  Separation   in  19UG....      45 

CHAPTER   VI. 

American  and  French  Lutheran  Co-operation..      53 
Lutlieraii    Chnrelies  in    Paris    .'....      64 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 
Bglise    Saint    Jean,    147,    Rue    de    Grenelle,    Paris    Bureau 

Franco-American     2 

Saint   Luc,   A  Quaint   French  Church    7 

Distingui.shed   Lay   Members   of    the   Consistory    15 

General   Comte.   Rapp,    1771-1821    19 

General  Comte.  Walther.  1761-1813   19 

Maison    Des    Diaconesses,    La    Montagne    25 

The   Governing   Consibtory    of   the    Church    of   Paris    .31 

Eglise   Bon-Secours,    Paris    35 

General    De    Bercltheim,    Active    Lutheran    I^ayman     39 

E;^lise   De  Saint  Martin,   Montbeliard    43 

Auguste    Weber,    Pres'ident    de    Consistoire     47 

Prof.    D.   Vancher,    Dean    of   the   Theological    Seminary....  48 

M.    G.    .Jaulmes,    Inspectur    Ecclesiasti(iue    Montbeliard....  51 

Paroise    de    Campagne,    Montbeliard     52 

Hon.    Frank    M.    Riter.    LL.D..    American     Lutheran    Com- 
missioner to   France    55 

The     Rev.    Charles    J.     Smith,     D.D.,     American     Lutheran 

Commissioner   to    France    59 


SAINT    LUC%    A    QUAINT    FRENCH    CHURCH 


CHAPTER  I 
How  Lutheranism  Came  to  Paris 

Paris  learned  of  the  Reformation  through  an 
academic  act  of  the  Sorbonne,  its  famous  old  univer- 
sity, which  in  1521  issued  a  haughty  "determination" 
upon  Luther's  teachings  and  writings,  calling  the 
Wittenberg  movement  a  heretic  rebellion.  This  de- 
termination wag  answered  forthwith  by  an  uncom- 
monly sharp  defense  by  Melanchthon.  The  ad- 
verse judgment  of  the  Sorbonne,  however,  did  not 
prevent  the  rapid  spreading  of  reformatory  litera- 
ture in  Paris  and  other  cities.  The  royal  court  took 
notice  of  it.  King  Francis  I  for  political  reasons 
wished  for  a  growth  of  the  Reformation  in  Germany 
because  it  would  weaken  the  power  of  his  enemy, 
Charles  V.  On  the  other  hand,  he  did  not  want 
it  to  find  entrance  into  France  because  he  had  won 
from  the  pope  the  privilege  of  nominating  the  bish- 
ops and  abbots  in  his  kingdom  which  gave  him  the 
control  over  the  whole  clergy.  In  1524  persecutions 
of  "Lutherans"  began;  Paris  saw  many  of  them 
burning  to  death  on  its  market  places.  Again  for 
political  reasons  King  Francis  in  1535  thought  of  a 
moderate  reformation  in  his  land  and  of  a  friendly 
understanding  with  the  Protestant  princes  in  Ger- 
many. He  even  went  so  far  as  to  invite  Melanch- 
thon to  come  to  Paris  for  a  consultation.  The  guile- 
less man  was  willing  to  go ;  but  the  Elector  of  Sax- 
ony, knowing  that  he  was  no  diplomat,  forbade  him 
to  leave  Wittenberg.  Francis  suddenly  changed  his 
9 


tactio.  Tu  |»l(':i.-»<'  tlio  pDpc  lie  started  tliat  tf'rril)lo 
j)orso('ut  ioii  (if  l*rotc>taiit>  wliidi  only  cainc  td  an 
end  ill  Kisn.  'riu-c  I'n.testaiits  were  iK.t  all  Lutii- 
(>rans;  in  fact,  tiie  jireat  majority  were  Calvinints; 
tliey  were  ealled  Ilu^menots,  from  the  German  word 
iMdiicnossen — eont'ederate-^,  eovenantery,  which  in 
tlie  course  of  time  heeamo  a  i)olitieal  power.  The 
numher  of  Lutlu»rans  was  far  too  small  to  bo  of  any 
aecdunt.  and  if  it  had'  been  larucr,  having-  an<»th<^r 
spirit,  it  would  hardly  have  taken   i)art. 

There  was  another  town,  outside  of  Paris,  to  which 
tile  Lutheran  Keformation  eame  at  an  early  date. 
From  loOT  until  1T1)(>  the  county  of  Moempelgrard 
(French,  Montbeliard),  south  of  AL"^ace,  north  of 
Burgundy  and  west  of  Switzerland,  belonged  to 
Wuerttemberg.  In  1524  Cardinal  Campeggi  com- 
plained to  the  pope,  that  Wuerttemberg  was  ^'luter- 
anissimo'';  no  wonder  then,  that  the  duke  allowed 
the  town  cr)uncil  of  Moempelgard  to  call  an  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  paytor  in  1524.  Soon  the  whole 
county  became  a  home  of  the  Gospel  Church,  and 
has  partly  remained  so  to  the  present  day.  Church 
history  makes  mention  of  Moempelgard,  for  in  1580 
a  disputation  took  place  there  betw^een  the  Lutheran 
Jacob  Andreae  and  the  Calvin ist  Theodore  Beza, 
upon  an  important  point  of  doctrine. 

How   Lutherans    Came    to   Paris 

The  first  Lutheran  church   in  Paris  we  know  of 
came  to  life  in  the  chapel  of  the  Swedish  p]mbai^sy 
in  KJ^l.     The  chaplains  of  the  ambassador  represent- 
ed   King   Gustavus    Adolphus,    of    blessed    memory. 
10 


Jonas  Hambre,  wag  at  the  same  time  professor  of 
Hebrew  and  Arabic  in  the  University  of  Paris.  At 
the  time  given  the  Thirty  Years'  War  was  in  full 
blast  and  a  large  number  of  Germans  of  wealth  and 
rank  had  taken  refuge  in  Paris.  Numerous  mem- 
bers of  the  Swedish  nobility  with  their  retinues 
had  come  to  live  in  the  French  capital.  Artisans 
and  laborers  from  Alsace  and  other  parts  of  western 
Germany  were  earning  their  daily  bread  by  honest 
work  in  the  capital  of  France.  All  of  these  men, 
single  or  heads  of  families,  were  Lutherans,  living 
among  Koman  Catholics  and  not  easily  taking  to  the 
Calvinists,  were  wishing  for  a  Lutheran  minister  to 
whom  they  could  apply  and  open  their  hearts.  Pro- 
fessor Hambre,  it  seems,  made  it  his  business  to 
become  known  to  them  as  a  regular  minister  of  their 
Church.  He  invited  them  to  worship  in  the  embassy 
chapel,  preached  to  them  in  both  languages,  Swedish 
and  German,  administered  the  holy  communion  and 
performed  other  ministerial  acts.  On  the  first  of 
December,  1626,  those  Lutherans,  residents  and  so- 
journers in  Paris  who  were  churchly  minded,  con- 
vened in  assembly  to  organize  the  first  Lutheran 
congregation  in  Paris  by  adopting  a  constitution  and 
electing  Prof.  Jonas  Hambre  their  pastor.  This  "acte 
constitutif"  was  signed  by  all  the  voters.  It  is  pre- 
served in  the  archives  of  the  church.  The  register 
of  those  first  names  entered  in  1626  contained  4,000 
signatures  in  1700  written  by  German  princes  and 
noblemen,  Swedish  diplomats  and  officers,  merchants, 
artisans  and  laborers  from  Alsace.  The  place  of 
worship  was  the  chapel  of  the  Swedish  embassy  until 

11 


1808,  30on  proving  to  be  far  too  small — a  circum- 
stance which  could  not  be  helped  in  those  trying 
times  under  the  Bourbon  rule — but  the  pastors,  al- 
ways the  Swedish  chaplains,  did  their  duty  as  well 
as  the  deacons,  who  cheerfully  remembering  the 
original  character  of  their  office,  looked  regularly 
after  the  poor  and  the  sick  and  even  succeeded  in 
founding  and  maintaining  a  small  hospital  for  Prot- 
estant patients. 

Prof.  Hambre  had  numerous  successors.  For  a 
certain  period,  the  embassy  had  two  chaplains,  the 
one  for  conducting  worship  in  Swedish,  the  other 
one  for  preaching  in  German.  Quite  a  series  of  pas- 
tors are  only  known  by  their  names.  One  of  the 
earlier  men  was  J.  B.  Bitter,  who  on  his  return  to 
Germany  in  1674  published  a  volume  of  French 
hymns  translated  from  the  German  under  the  title, 
"The  Occupations  of -a  Faithful  Soul." 

During  the  18th  century  not  more  than  three  men 
held  the  position  of  pastor  in  succession :  Mettenius, 
F.  C.  Baer  and  C.  C.  Gambs.  Chaplain  Baer  intro- 
duced a  monthly  French  service  in  1747.  The  last 
■one  of  the  chaplains  of  the  royal  embassy  of  Sweden 
at  Paris  was  a  native  of  Strassburg,  the  old  capital 
of  Alsace.  He  came  to  Paris  in  1784  and  remained 
at  his  post  until  1806,  when  as  an  alien  enemy 
in  his  character  as  an  official  of  the  Swedish  king 
had  to  leave  France.  P.  Gambs  was  a  faithful  as 
well  as  a  courageous  man.  During  the  "Reign  of 
Terror"  he  repeatedly  faced  imprisonment  and  death. 
He  did  not  close  the  chapel,  but  following  the  ex- 
ample of  that  other  Strasburger,  F.  Oberlin,  he  cele- 
12 


brated  the  public  day  of  rest  on  every  tenth  day, 
according  to  the  law  of  the  first  Republic. 

The  Lutherans  did  not  beconie  discouraged.  M. 
Goericke,  the  chaplain  of  the  Danish  Embassy,  took 
charge  of  them  in  a  way  that  endeared  him  to  them 
forever.  He  remained  pastor  pro  tem.  until  Novem- 
ber, 1809.  At  the  close  of  their  last  service  in  the 
Danish  chapel  his  grateful  hearers  gave  him  for  a 
keepsake  a  gold  snuffbox,  according  to  the  custom 
of  those  times.  Before  the  end  of  that  year  the 
Danish  chapel  was  closed  permanently.  A  new  order 
of  things  was  obtaining  in  France.  The  newly  ac- 
quired ''liberty  of  conscience"  was  in  a  manner  open- 
ing the  way  to  ''liberty  of  worship."  The  diplomats 
were  made  welcome  in  the  national  churches.  One 
of  the  front  pews  in  the  oldest  Lutheran  church  in 
the  city  was  for  long  years  reserved  for  the  diplo- 
matic corps,  and  whenever  a  visiting  Scandinavian 
pastor  wished  to  conduct  a  service  for  his  country- 
men, it  is  understood  that  he  shall  make  use  of  one 
of  the  Lutheran  churches  for  the  purpose. 


13 


CHAPTER   II 

The  Lutheran  Church  in  the 
Days  of  Napoleon  I 

Napoleon  Bonaparte  as  First  Consul  of  tlie  French 
Republic  on  December  2,  1802,  established  in  Paris 
a  Reformed  Church  and  granted  to  it  the  use  of 
three  churches  heretofore  Roman  Catholic.  After 
the  expulsion  of  Pastor  Gambs  in  1806,  Napoleon, 
Emperor  of  the  French  since  1804,  ordered  an  in- 
quiry into  the  civil  conditions  of  the  French  pro- 
fessing the  Lutheran  faith  who  had  been  under  the 
ministration  of  foreign  chaplains.  He  did  not  want 
French  citizens  reduced  to  frequent  foreign  chapels, 
neither  did  he  like  foreign  chaplains  to  make  use  of 
French.  That  inquiry  was  made  without  much  red 
tape.  One  thing  is  sure,  that  Napoleon  wanted  to 
do  what  was  right  in  his  eyes.  (Ag  to  the  internal 
affairs  of  France,  Napoleon  made  an  excellent  ruler ; 
if  he  only  could  have  overcome  the  demon  of  in- 
satiable ambition.)  In  August,  1806,  Napoleon 
signed  a  decree  establishing  in  Paris  a  "house  of 
prayer"  for  the  adherents  of  the  Augsburg  Confes- 
sion, enjoining  them  to  come  to  worship  in  that 
house  and  to  stay  away  from  any  foreign  chapel. 
The  house  of  prayer  shall  be  under  the  supervision 
of  the  consistory  of  Strassburg,  and  the  pastor  shall 
receive  a  salary  of  1500  francs  ($300).  The  mayor 
of  Paris  is  directed  to  make  provision  for  a  locality 
suitable  for  worship  and  of  lodgings  for  the  pastor. 
14 


^m 


,^^^ 


0».-,-a'     A      ^e     VIVES 


^~   VA 


rcn      Fr.oerc     SARTHOLO 
,8?3        .893 


C'./ii!.     Edmond     de     FOURTALES 


DISTINGUISHED    LAY    MEMBERS    OF    THE    CONSISTORY 


JNrapoleoii''s  decree  disappointed  the  Lutherans. 
While  they  appreciated  his  good  will  they  could  not 
see  why  he  had  fixed  their  pastor's  salary  at  so  low 
a  figure,  whilst  he  had  granted  3000  francs  to  the 
Reformed  pastors.  How  could  they  ever  expect  to 
place  a  competent  man  at  the  head  of  their  church 
at  such  a  meager  income?  Mr.  Treuttel,  a  book- 
seller, called  a  meeting  of  members  at  his  house  to 
take  action.  Fifty  heads  of  families  answered  the 
call,  went  to  work  and  appointed  a  committee  of  ten 
men  to  enter  at  once  upon  correspondence  with 
the  consistory  of  Strassburg,  to  call  upon  the  mayor 
and  ask  for  a  convenient  locality,  to  seek  to  find  a 
well-qualified  pastor,  and  above  all  to  induce  the 
emperor  to  modify  his  decree  in  their  favor. 

These  ten  men,  all  of  German  descent,  did  what 
they  were  expected  to  do,  striving  energetically  to 
bring  about  a  more  favorable  situation.  A 
petition  to  the  emperor  was  drawn  up  to  grant 
larger  support  to  the  pastor.  The  question  arose 
how  to  get  the  ear  of  Napoleon,  who  was  active  in 
the  war  at  the  front.  The  committee  sent  the 
document  to  General  Rapp,  a  favorite  of  the  em- 
peror. Rapp  as  well  as  General  Walther,  both  Alsa- 
tians, w^ere  members  of  the  Church.  But  General 
Rapp  was  away  in  Poland,  seriously  wounded.  The 
petition  was  returned  to  Paris.  Another  petition 
was  .drawn  up.  It  asked  for  independence  from 
Strassburg  and  for  two  pastors,  each  one  to  get  a 
salary  of  fr.  3000.  It  was  handed  to  Napoleon,  who 
had  returned  to  France,  by  General  Walther,  to 
whom  the  secretary  of  church  affairs  had  promised 
17 


til  Wriiii:  alniut  ;i  ^pccdv  ;iii(l  I'nv  uraMc  ivHult.  Nai>u- 
Icoii  haviii.i:-  Itccii  in Inniu-d  that  tlicre  wcru  more 
tliaii  1(1, (MK)  laithcraiis  living'  in  Paris  and  a  few 
tludisaiid  iii(»rr  in  t()\vn>  ncarl)y,  as  St.  Denis,  Ver- 
sailles, and  (Veil  at  liout-n  and  Orleans,  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  iirant  tlio  petition  by  a  new  decree  issued  at 
Nantes,  wliere  in  1598  the  Huguenots  had  been 
granted  political  and  religious  liberty  by  a  decree 
of  King  Henry  IV  (but  revoked  by  Louis  XIV,  in 
1685). 

The  conmiitteo  of  ton  men  in  the  meanwhile  had 
succeeded  in  getting  relative  possession  of  the  loca- 
tion for  their  church  and  parsonage.  The  mayor  of 
Paris  offered  them  the  formerly  Roman  Catholic 
Church  of  the  Carnics-Billettes  (''bare-footed  Car- 
melite friars")  on  Billettes  (toll-gate)  street,  in  the 
densely  populated  center  of  the  city  abounding  in 
narrow  and  tortuous  streets.  The  building  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  church  would  serve  as  a  parsonage 
and  the  convent  on  the  left  hand  might  be  used  for 
school  purposes.  A  decree  of  the  emperor  authorized 
the  city  of  Paris  to  buy  the  property  from  the  State 
for  the  very  moderate  sum  of  73,000  francs  ($14,- 
750)  and  place  it  at  the  disposal  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  of  Paris. 

He  possessed  a  truly  marvelous  memory,  and  yet 
he  could  not  free  himself  from  opinions  once  formed 
in  spite  of  his  memory.  He  had  the  notion  that 
the  Lutheran  Church  was  located  in  the  St.  An- 
thony's ward,  the  bee-hive  of  radical  socialists,  as  we 
would  gay  today.  He  still  harbored  the  opinion  when 
on  New  Year's  Day,  1814,  the  Lutheran  and  Reform- 
18 


GENERAL    COMTE.    RAPP^ 
1771-1821 


GENERAL    COMTE,    WALTHER 
1761-1813 


ed  pastors  attended  the  customary  reception  at  the 
imperial  palace.  Napoleon  asked  Pastor  Goepp,  of 
.the  Billettes  church  whether  his  "temple"  was  still 
in  St.  Anthony's  ward.  P.  Goepp  replied  that  it 
stood  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  City  Hall.  The 
emperor  continued,  "Then  you  made  a  change."  P. 
Goepp  said,  "No,  sire,  we  never  were  anywhere  else 
than  where  we  are  now,"  The  emperor :  "How  many 
are  there  of  you?"  P.  Goepp:  "About  10,000."  The 
emperor:  "Your  house  of  worship  is  not  as  bare  as 
those  of  the  Keformed,  as  you  have  an  altar."  P. 
Goepp :    "We  have  a  Christ  (crucifix)  on  our  altar." 

The  First  Church  Council;  the  First  Pastors;  the  First 
Church 

The  law  required  a  board  of  "notables,"  men  of 
social  and  political  influence  belonging  to  the 
church,  charged  with  making  nominations  of  candi- 
dates for  the  church  council.  (The  official  title  is 
"Consistoire".)  That  board  of  notables  was  pre- 
sided over  by  the  mayor  of  Paris.  Three  generals 
were  such  notables,  but  they  were  absent  from  Paris. 
The  first  consistory  was  composed  of  twelve  men; 
the  three  generals,  Rapp,  Walther  and  Dentzel,  were 
among  them.  The  consistory  was  to  meet  weekly. 
It  met  in  the  vestry-room  before  service  in  order  to 
accompany  the  pastor  into  the  church.  Elections 
were  to  be  held  every  other  year  by  an  "electoral 
college"  composed  of  the  twelve  members  of  the  con- 
sistory and  thirteen  notables.  Mr.  Treuttel  was 
elected  president  of  the  consistory,  and  Mr.  Bar- 
tholdi  treasurer. 

21 


The  election  of  two  pastors  took  place  on  New 
Year's  Day,  1800.  The  Electoral  Collepre  nominated 
^fr.  Oamhs  for  the  office  of  first  pastor,  and  Mr.  Geo. 
Boinsard  for  the  office  of  second  pastor.  The  latter 
hailed  from  Montbeliard.  He  was  a  young  man 
with  a  few  year.s  of  ministerial  experience.  He  ac- 
cepted the  call  promptly.  Mr.  Gambs  was  allowed  by 
the  police  to  return  from  his  exile,  but  he  declined 
the  call,  as  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  with  his  posi- 
tion as  pastor  of  St.  Ansgari  Church  at  Bremen. 
(Later  on  he  became  pastor  of  St.  Aurelia's  Church 
at  Strassburg,  his  native  town.  His  highly  gifted 
daughter  was  the  mother  of  Max  and  Emil  Frommel, 
whose  name  and  fame  as  pastors,  preachers  and  writ- 
ers has  not  yet  been  quenched  by  time  and  indiffer- 
ence.) 

Mr.  Gambs'  declination  w^as  received  with  regret. 
Mr.  Boissard,  in  spite  of  his  protest,  was  made  first 
pastor,  and  a  call  was  extended  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Goepp, 
second  French  pastor  at  Strassburg.  He  accepted. 
From  the  beginning  the  two  pastors  were  on  equal 
footing  and  got  along  well  together.  They  arranged 
things  in  such  a  manner  that  jealous  frictions  could 
not  happen ;  they  alternated  in  the  pulpit,  at  the  altar 
and  in  other  ministerial  acts  and  in  the  chair  of  the 
president  of  the  consistory. 

During  the  empire  the  pastors  who  were  knights 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  were  regarded  as  public 
officials  and  as  such  were  obliged  to  attend  the  ruler's 
receptions  at  the  Castle  of  St.  Cloud.  The  pastors 
of  today  need  not  be  present  at  such  functions,  they 
are  not  found  in  lobbies.  Pastor  Boissard  met  there 
22 


one  day  Count  Lambrechts/  a  seliator.  Boissard 
looked  gloomy  and  the  old  gentleman  kindly  asked 
him  for  the  reason  of  his  sadness.  Boissard  told 
him  how  mucli  trouble  he  had  in  placing  a  blind  old 
man  in  a  public  institution.  This  incident  caused 
the  senator,  who  was  a  Catholic,  to  bequeath  his 
fortune  to  the  poor  among  the  Protestant  people, 
especially  to  the  blind,  who  were  refused  admittance 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  Hospice.  The  senator's  be- 
quest made  possible  the  establishment  of  charitable 
institutions  at  Combevoic,  a  suburb  of  Paris. 

When  the  Lutherans  took  possession  of  their  leased 
property  they  found  the  church  turned  into  a  salt 
store  and  the  convent  into  a  carpenter  shop.  Within 
a  short  time  the  convent  was  converted  into  a  par- 
ish house.  While  under  the  same  roof  and  in  the 
cloister  were  installed  school  rooms;  lodgings  for  the 
teachers  and  the  janitor,  and  the  orphans  Avere  gath- 
ered in  by  a  committee  of  ladies.  In  1878  the  build- 
ings underwent  a  transformation,  including  the  ad- 
dition of  a  large  catechumen's  hall,  all  at  the  city's 
expense. 

On  account  of  the  many  repairs  to  be  made,  the 
church  could  not  be  dedicated  before  the  last  Sunday 
in  the  church  year,  November  26,  1809.  At  the  same 
time  the  two  pastors  were  solemnly  introduced  to 
the  congregation  in  the  presence  of  state  and  city 
officials,  diplomat^,  the  Danish  chaplain  and  a  dele- 
gation of  pastors  and  laymen  of  the  Reformed 
Church.  Until  this  day  the  last  Sunday  of  the 
Church  year  is  observed  by  all  the  Lutheran  churches 
as  an  annual  Church  Festival  witli  ai^Jropriate  ser- 
vices. 

23 


CHAITKR   III 
Strengthening  the  Foundations 

The  Billottos  Church  from  the  beginning  had  ser- 
vicevS  in  French  as  well  as  in  German  every  Sunday 
and  feast-day.  The  form  of  worship  was  very  simple 
during  the  first  year,  but  gradually  became  distinctly 
Lutheran.  In  1544  the  liturgy  used  in  the  Mont- 
beliard  diocese  was  introduced.  In  1865  the  full 
liturgical  service  was  adopted  and  became  so  popu- 
lar, that  some  Reformed  churches  introduced  parts 
of  it  in  their  service. 

In  the  initial  years  of  the  Lutheran  Church  of 
Paris  there  existed  no  religious  literature;  it  had  to 
be  created.  The  French  Bible  Society  was  founded 
in  1818.  The  Basel  Bible  Society  repeatedly  made 
generous  grants  of  Bibles  to  the  Billetteg  Church. 
A  German  candidate  of  theology,  Mr.  Leo  (later  on 
a  famous  university  professor),  gathered  funds  in 
his  homeland  for  the  printing  of  New  Testaments 
for  the  Protestant  poor  and  the  children  in  Paris. 
The  "Leo  legacy"  is  still  productive,  each  catechu- 
man  receiving  a  well-bound  New  Testament  at  his 
or  her  confirmation  or  first  communion. 

Pastor  Gambs  in  1800  published  a  small  volume  of 
church  hymns  in  French.  New  hymn-books  pre- 
pared by  successive  pastors  appeared  in  1819,  1826 
and  1836.  The  first  pastors,  Boissard  and  Goepp, 
wrote  a  "Handbook  of  Christian  Doctrine  Explained 
by  Scripture  Texts"  for  their  parishioners  and  cate- 
chumens. The  consistory  had  it  printed.  They  sent 
24 


a  complimentary  copy  richly  bound  to  King  Louis 
XYIII,  who  did  not  fail  to  say  some  kind  words  to 
the  authors.  Quite  a  number  of  similar  useful 
books  for  the  young  people  of  the  Church  and  the 
parochial  schools  made  their  welcome  appearance 
from  time  to  time.  This  literary  activity  continued 
throughout  the  whole  first  century  of  the  existence 
of  a  recognized  Lutheran  Church  in  Paris  (1808- 
1908). 

Sunday  Catechetical   Schools 

The  consistory  regarded  it  their  sacred  duty  to  see 
to  it  that  the  children  received  the  very  best  kind 
of  religious  instruction.  On  Sunday,  after  the  morn- 
ing service,  there  took  place  the  "catechization."  It 
was  the  old-fashioned,  well-seasoned  ''Kinderlehre" 
of  the  Alsatian  Church.  There  the  pastor  conducted 
it;  in  Paris,  the  headmaster  of  the  parochial  school, 
being  a  candidate  for  the  ministry,  was  in  charge 
of  it.  The  Lutherans  in  Paris  seem  to  prefer  it  to 
the  modern  Sunday-school.  As  long  as  the  Bil- 
lettes  Church  was  the  only  church,  the  consistory 
considering  the  distances-  of  travel  from  the  suburbs 
to  the  church,  rented  four  rooms  in  the  suburbs  for 
the  convenience  of  the  pastor  and  the  catechumens 
living  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  Confirmation 
took  place  on  Ascension  Day,  following  the  custom 
in  Alsace  and  Montbeliard. 

Free  public  primary  schools  did  not  exist  in  Paris 
100  years  ago.  The  "common  people's"  schools  were 
called  charity  schools  having  nothing  to  recommend 
them.  The  Alsatians  were  much  better  off  in  this 
respect,  they  appreciated  education  and  therefore 
27 


were  glad  when  their  church  on  Billett&s  street 
opened  a  parochial  school.  It  started  with  40  pupils. 
Tliis  iiuiiihcr  nijiidly  increased.  Two  vcars  after- 
wartLs  tlie  Ivet'ornied  Cliurch  oi)ened  such  a  school. 
The  records  of  the  Billette.s  Church  relate  in  a 
toucliing-  manner  the  deep  interest  all  the  members 
of  the  consistory  were  taking  in  the  w^elfare  of  the 
school  and  the  efficiency  of  the  teachers.  The  con- 
gregation was  of  the  same  mind;  next  to  her  heart 
were  the  schools  and  the  poor  of  the  Church.  About 
1880  more  than  4,000  pupils  were  found  in  the  Luth- 
eran schools,  which  received  a  grant-in-aid  from  the 
city  to  the  amount  of  $6,000  annually.  The  Third 
Republic  broke  up  all  connection  between  the  Church 
and  the  State;  it  simply  tolerates  but  does  not  favor 
Christianity. 

Abounding  In  Works  of  Mercy 

Charity  from  the  beginning  was  carried  on  in  a 
systematic  but  warm-hearted  way.  The  consistory 
at  once  appointed  an  "alms  committee,''  the  pastors 
being  chairmen,  which  had  to  look  after  the  needs 
and  wants  of  the  sick  and  the  poor,  find  proper  places 
for  the  orphans — and  also  for  apprentices  and  young 
servant  girls.  The  committee  had  to  report  every 
three  months,  giving  account  of  its  disbursements 
and  asking  for  supply.  All  the  alms  collected  in  the 
church  w^ere  used  as  such;  the  collections  were  lifted 
by  the  ushers,  all  young  men  who  later  on  were  en- 
trusted with  the  distribution  of  alms  and  thus  be- 
came interested  in  what  is  called  today  Inner  Mis- 
sion work.  The  women  of  the  Church  did  not  re- 
28 


main  inactive  in  charity.  They  started  and  sup- 
ported a  female  orphans'  home  in  the  parish  house. 
Their  society  still  exists,  better  to  say  still  lives, 
because  it  maintains  two  deaconesses. 

In  1845  the  committee  on  the  Lambrecht's  bequest 
consisting  of  the  mayor  of  the  town  and  two  of  the 
oldest  Protestant  pastors,  acquired  a  very  fine  prop- 
erty outside  of  Paris  for  charitable  purposes  to  be 
enjoyed  by  old  people  and  young  children  belonging 
to  Protestant  churches.  Por  the  general  support  of 
charities  the  diaconate  societies  of  the  Lutheran 
churches  were  constantly  active. 

Through  the  law  of  separation  of  Church  and  State 
in  Prance  of  1906,  passed  by  a  radical  gov- 
ernment, religious  associations  are  deprived  of  the 
right  to  exercise  charity,  this  being  the  business  of 
the  State.  Their  exclusive  mission  is  the  mainten- 
ance of  worship.  Punds  held  by  the  churches  for 
the  support  of  their  poor  were  to  be  placed  under 
State  control.  Portunately  this  was  averted  by  the 
organization  of  a  "Benevolent  Association  among 
the  Lutheran  Protectants  of  Paris  and  vicinity."  It 
was  composed  exclusively  of  laymen.  This  associa- 
tion was  legally  recognized  as  a  public  utility;  The 
Lutheran  consistory  was  entitled  to  dispose  of  the 
charity  funds  amounting  to  $75,000  and  to  place  in- 
digent members  in  certain  homes  and  hospices. 

The  religious  associations  as  such  were  forbidden 
to  practice  charity;  but  charity  exercised  by  private 
persons  was  not  prohibited.  The  pastors  took  the 
initiative,  not  as  pastors,  but  as  citizens :  eight  char- 
itable institutions  in  and  around  Paris  were 
29 


fouiulcd  and  are  niaiiitainod  by  church  people  under 
the  advice  of  their  citizen-pastors. 

])urinf^^  this  "f(»nndation"  period,  tlic  two  Protest- 
ant consi.qtories,  the  Lutheran  and  the  Reformed, 
were  ^ood  neighbors  to  each  other.  They  supported 
each  other  in  their  sometimes  vexatious  dealings 
with  the  public  authorities.  They  helped  each  other 
in  times  of  distress.  While  P.  Goepp  was  absent 
from  Paris,  P.  Boissard  fell  seriously  ill.  The 
Reformed  consistory  at  once  placed  their  pastors 
at  the  dispoi^al  of  the  Lutherans,  and  on  tliose  Sun- 
days when  a  Reformed  minister  filled  the  pulpit,  he 
offered  a  fervent  petition  for  the  recovery  of  P. 
Boissard. 

In  1837  Pastor  Cuvier  was  called  to  Fontaine- 
bleau  to  bless  the  marriage  of  the  heir  of  the  royal 
throne,  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  with  Princess  Helen 
of  Mecklenburg,  a  devoted  Lutheran.  King  Louis 
Philip  wished  to  turn  one  of  the  rooms  in  the  Tuile- 
ries  in  Paris  into  a  private  chapel  for  her,  but  she 
preferred  worshiping  with  a  Lutheran  congregation 
and  so  she  did  with  great  constancy.  She  was  a  sin- 
cere friend  of  the  pastor  and  very  highly  esteemed 
by  the  church  people  on  account  of  her  graciousness 
and  readiness  to  do  good.  In  1848  she  had  to  leave 
France  as  a  w^idow  with  her  two  sons.  King  Louis 
Philip  had  abdicated  the  throne  and  fled  the  coun- 
try. She  was  the  only  *'one"  in  the  royal  family 
that  braved  the  furious  storm  of  revolution. 


30 


CHAPTER  IV 
The  Period  of  Expansion 

(1843-1870) 
The  consistory  of  the  Lutheran  Church  of  Paris, 
finding  that  their  first  church  had  become  far  too 
small  and  the  pastoral  work  of  their  ministers — four 
in  number  since  1841 — too  cumbersome,  applied  to 
the  city  for  a  second  church  location.  The  mayor 
in  1843  converted  an  old  custom  house  into  a  church, 
which  was  called  the  Church  of  the  Kedemption, 
and  in  the  course  of  time  became  the  most  prominent 
Lutheran  church  in  Paris  on  account  of  its  loca- 
tion, its  excellent  pastors,  and  its  unselfish  activities 
following  the  footsteps  of  Billettes  Church  closely. 
Pastor  Louis  Meyer,  of  the  latter  church,  plunged 
into  home  missionary  work  with  an  enthusiasm 
which  never  lagged.-  He  attacked  with  the  sword  of 
the  Spirit  the  Saint  Marceau  ward,  teeming  with 
"low  caste  and  no  caste"  people,  the  poor  menials 
of  prospering  Paris:  rag-pickers,  street-sweepers, 
chance  day  laborers,  etc.  P.  Meyer  discovered 
among  them  a  large  number  of  people  of 
Lutheran  origin,  an  ever-increasing  flock  with- 
out a  shepherd.  The  result  of  his  labor  was 
the  parish  of  St.  Marcel,  having  among  its  in- 
stitutions a  model  hospice  for  young  folks.  St. 
Anthony  ward,  suspected  by  Napoleon  as  a  hotbed 
of  anarchism,  was  taken  in  hand  by  Pastor  Hose- 
mann,  who  succeeded  in  establishing  the  parish  of 
Bon  Secours  ("Good  Help")  after  a  brave  fight  with 
33 


the  power?  of  darkness.  The  worst  enemy  he,  and 
others,  had  to  battle  with,  was  not  direct  but  in- 
direct infidelity,  viz.,  indifference,  a  poison  that  very 
slowly  but  very  surely  eauses  spiritual  and  eternal 
death  anywhere,  not  only  in  Paris! 

The  consistory  did  not  allow  the  pastors  to  carry 
the  burden  all  by  themselves,  ordained  and  trained 
lay  assistants  were  appointed  and  the  teachers  in 
the  parochial  siehools  were  expected  to  do  their  share 
in  the  evangelization  of  the  churchless  poor.  The 
fifth  church  establishment  in  this  period  was  made 
possible  by  a  bequest  from  Mr.  D.  Buehler,  who  had 
in  his  mind  the  religious  interests  of  the  "better" 
classes.  The  fine  church  of  St.  John  is  the  monu- 
ment of  his  liberality. 

The  centennial  record  of  the  Church  of  Paris 
speaks  of  a  German  Mission  carried  on  by  the 
Church.  France  becoming  more  prosperous  year  by 
year  through  its  manifold  industries  attracted  crowds 
of  young  men  from  Protestant  countries  in  search  of 
paying  work.  The  Paris  pastors  believed  they  had  a 
call  to  look  after  them,  not  only  in  Paris,  but  also  at 
the  Havre  and  at  Lyons,  w'here  the  Church  supported 
"home  missionaries."  There  are  Lutheran  churches 
in  both  cities.  There  was  another  group  of  Lutherans 
which  invited  the  attention  of  the  Church.  Under 
Napoleon  III,  a  large  number  of  poor  working 
people  from  the  Palatinate  and  Hesse  (whose  speech 
is  the  original  "Pennsylvania-Dutch")  had  come 
with  their  families  to  Paris  in  search  of  work  to. 
be  done  by  "unskilled"  laborers.  They  dreamed  of 
Paris  as  of  a  city  paved  with  gold  bricks,  and  there- 
34 


EGLISE  BOX-SECOUKS,  PARIS 


fore  they  took  up  the  trade  of  street-sweepers.  These 
people  crowded  the  tenements  in  the  Yillette  ward, 
another  flock  without  a  shepherd,  and  in  danger  of 
starving  mentally  and  spiritually,  having  neither 
church  nor  school.  The  first  Lutheran  minister  who 
came  in  contact  with  them  was  none  else  than  Baron 
Frederick  von  Bodelschwingh,  one  of  the  "heroes" 
of  the  army  of  Inner  Mission  workers.  He  labored 
at  the  Yillette  for  three  years — it  is  now  60  years 
ago — and  the  story  of  these  years  of  joyously  borne 
daily  self-denial  and  all  absorbing  devotion  is  one 
which  is  intensely  interesting. 

In  the  course  of  time  the  German  missions  chang- 
ed their  name  to  German  and  French  Missions,  in 
order  to  do  justice  to  the  younger  element.  The 
consistory  placed  a  French  pastor  at  the  side  of  the 
German  or  installed  in  the  mission  churches  men 
from  Alsace  who  were  able  to  preach  in  both  lan- 
guages. They  were  able  to  read  the  signs  of  the 
times  and  acted  wisely  in  order  to  prevent  losses. 
The  respective  committees  found  ways  and  means  to 
maintain  the  work  without  constantly  begging  for 
funds.  The  Church  treasury  covered  the  expenses, 
even  if  they  amounted  to  $20,000  annually. 

A  few  years  before  the  fall  of  Napoleon  III,  the 
suburbs  of  Paris  were  placed  within  the  city  limits. 
By  this  act  three  suburban  churches  were  joined  to 
the  five  established  since  1808.  Napoleon,  when  he 
was  still  president  of  the  Republic,  created  the  In- 
spectorate of  Paris,  filled  by  pastors.  After  his  time 
the  Republic  introduced  a  sort  of  synodical  govern- 
ment, at  the  annual  a.ssembly  of  which  the  parishes 


wc'iv  ivprc^ciitcd  h.v  the  pastors  and  two  lay  di'lc^atcs. 
A  standing  committee  of  synod  was  called  the  Supe- 
rior Consistory.  The  law  of  separation  in  1906 
brought  about  further  changes  of  government.  Be- 
fore 1870  the  pastors  of  Paris  carried  on  a  spirited 
controversy  with  a  number  of  pa.stors  in  Alsace  who 
were  leaning  towards  falsely  so-called  "liberal"  the- 
ology. This  controversy  called  into  existence  the 
Temoignage  ("The  Testimony")  which  is  a  weekly 
paper  of  twelve  pages  holding  the  influential,  correct 
position  of  an  official  Church  organ.  Until  1<S70 
the  Gorman  members  of  the  Church  of  Paris  read 
the  Schifflein  Christi  ("Christ's  Little  Ship")  a 
monthly  ]iaper. 

Trying  Times  (1870-1906) 

The  Franco-German  war  of  1870-71  was  disastrous 
to  the  Lutheran  Church  of  France,  because  the  latter 
had  to  cede  Alsace  to  the  victor.  The  Church  lost 
194  parishes  with  270,700  members  and  250  minis- 
ters. Looking  over  the  list  of  those  194  Alsatian 
parishes,  we  found  8  which  had  distinctly  French 
names.     The  rest  had  untranslatable  German  names. 

In  1872  the  two  inspectorates,  Paris  and  Mont- 
beliard,  voted  for  a  synodical  constitution  which 
received  legal  sanction  by  the  government  in  1879. 
In  1877  the  theological  faculty  formerly  at  Strass- 
burg,  was  transferred  to  Paris.  The  financial  ques- 
tion was  very  serious.  The  Republican  city  govern- 
ment cut  off  all  grants-in-aid  to  religious  establish- 
ments. Since  the  times  of  Napoleon  the  churches 
of  Paris  enjoyed  the  monopoly  of  conducting  fu- 


GENERAL  DE  BERCKTIEnr 
ACTIVE    LI  TIIEUAX   LAV^LVN 


neralg.  This  public  service  was  rendered  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  tlie  people.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church 
derived  a  very  large  income  from  this  privilege; 
the  Reformed  Church  came  next,  and  the  Lutheran 
Church  cleared  from  it  about  $5,000  annually.  Since 
1905  the  city  is  the  undertaker.  The  treasury  of 
<;he  church  being  hit  hard  from  every  side,  had  to 
struggle  with  mounting  deficits,  retrenchments  had 
to  be  made  here  and  there  where  they  hurt,  and  if 
some  friends  from  outside  the  Church  had  not  made 
generous  advances,  it  would  have  gone  hard  with 
her,  humanly  speaking.  What  worried  her  the  most 
was  the  fact  that  on  account  of  a  lack  of  men 
and  means  she  had  to  see  so  many  people  from  Alsace 
going  somewhere  else  because  she  had  no  room  for 
them.  And  when  the  rush  of  the  people  from  the 
dense  tenement  districts  to  the  airy  suburbs  set  in  the 
church  could  not  march  along  with  portable  chapels 
and  Gospel  tents  because  she  had  no  men  to  shout 
"Come  in!"  The  Reformed  Church  had  all  the 
advantage  and  knew  how  to  make  use  of  it. 

The  splendid  educational  work  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  of  Paris,  which  had  been  recognized  and 
favored  with  grants-in-aid,  was  stopped  and  de- 
stroyed by  a  law  in  1886,  which  cut  off  all  connec- 
tion of  the  public  primary  schools  with  the  Church. 
The  Lutherans  had  to  suffer  innocently  through  the 
arrogance  of  the  Catholics.  The  Home  Mission  Com- 
mittee, in  spite  of  the  difficulties  enumerated,  took 
up  their  work  again  in  the  suburbs,  looking  up  Alsa- 
tians. Pastor  Roehrich  and  his  co-laborers  succeeded 
in  establishing  parishes  and  missions  which  were 
41 


received  into  the  Paris  Synod  by  action  of  the  Gen- 
eral Synod. 

In  spite  of  all  hindrances  some  activities  of  the 
Church  continued  to  "make  ?:ood."  The  work  of  the 
parish  deaconesses  went  on ;  the  people  learned  more 
and  more  to  appreciate  their  servics.  The  colportage 
of  Lutheran  literature  showed  good  results;  a  coun- 
try parish  owed  its  establishment  to  one  of  the  zeal- 
ous canvassers. 

Foreign  Missions  were  brought  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  people  at  an  early  date.  The  pastors  could 
not  be  otherwise  than  interested  in  this  branch  of 
Christian  work,  from  which  no  believer  can  be  ex- 
cused. The  Church  is  represented  on  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Parish  Missionary  Society.  In  the 
present  time  it  is  particularly  interested  in  the  mis- 
sionary work  in  Madagascar  carried  on  on  a  large 
scale  by  Norwegian  Lutherans  both  in  Norway  and 
America. 


42 


EGLISE   DE   SAINT    MARTIX,   MONTBELIARD 


CHAPTER  V 

Lutheranism  Since  the  Separation 
in  1906 

Organization  and  Strength 

The  Lutheran  Church  of  France  neither  wished 
nor  worked  for  a  separation  between  the  Church  and 
the  State.  She  was  satisfied  with  the  present  condi- 
tions although  she  had  reason  to  deplore  the  destruc- 
tion of  her  school  plant.  Lutherans  did  not  cause  any 
trouble  to  the  State,  nor  was  the  latter  disposed  to 
persecute  them.  The  Lutheran  Church,  being  out 
of  politics  altogether,  had  nevertheless  to  suffer  for 
the  political  sins  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  of 
France.  The  State  did  not  make  any  distinction 
between  the  churches,  as  it  might  well  have  done, 
because  the  Lutheran,  for  instance,  had  always  ac- 
corded a  full  share  in  the  administration  to  her  lay- 
men. 

The  new  law  deals  only  with  religious  or  parochial 
associations,  not  with  churches.  The  association 
may  lease  its  former  property  from  the  State.  The 
law  does  not  touch  the  faith,  the  doctrine  or  cultus 
("form  of  worship")  of  the  associations.  The  latter 
will  not  receive  any  support  from  the  State;  they 
have  to  support  themselves  entirely.  They  have  the 
right  to  create  unions  or  associations  for  the  same 
purpose,  whether  these  are  called  consistorial  or 
synodical.  Each  association  manages  its  own  affairs, 
45 


but  may  associate  with  others  for  the  common  good 
and  accept  the  counsel  of  a  consistory  which  is  more 
of  an  advisory  than  a  governing  board,  is,  in  other 
words,  more  American  than  European. 

Most  of  the  statements  made  above  are  culled  from 
a  volume  of  180  pages  bearing  the  title:  "Un  cen- 
tenairc.  L'Eglise  Evangelique  Lutherienne  de  Paris, 
1S08  a  1908.  Notice  historique  suiviede  Notes  et  de 
Documents  par  Aug.  Weber,  Inspecteur  ecclesias- 
tique  et  President  dii  Consistoire.  Publication  illus- 
tree,"  etc. 

An  illu-strated  pamphlet  written  in  English  and 
published  in  June,  1918,  informs  us  that  the 
inspection  or  diocese  of  Paris,-  which  includes 
Paris,  Lyons,  Nice  and  Algeria,  is  composed 
of  P.  Jean  Meyer,  ecclesiastical  inspector,  4 
theological  professors,  24  pastors  in  Paris,  1 
pastor  at  Lyons,  6  pastors  in  Algeria;  14  of 
these  pastors  are  serving  in  the  Army,  2  have 
been  killed  in  action.  The  list  of  the  clergy  and 
churches  gives  the  names  of  13  parish  churches  with 
7  annexes  ((missions),  21  pa&tors  and  some  assistant 
pastors,  in  Paris,  1  in  Lyons,  none  at  Nice  and  6  in 
Algeria.  The  pamphlet  mentions  the  Swedish  church, 
C.  Borjeson,  pastor,  which  although  independent  of 
the  French  Synod  is  linked  to  it  historically  and  fra- 
ternally. Its  parish  hall  is  being  used  during  the  pres- 
ent war  as  a  hospital  for  soldiers  at  the  expense  of 
the  Swedish  community.  Then  follows  the  list  of 
Home  Mission  parishes  which  are  doing  pioneer 
work;  following  up  dispersed  Protestants,  and  con- 
stituting parishes  in  outlying  districts. 
46 


AUGUSTE    WEBER 
PRESIDENT  DE   CONSISTOIRE 


PROF.  D.  VANCHER, 
DEAN  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


The  names  of  eight  Home  Mission  pastors,  one 
evangelist  and  12  churches  and'  halls  are  given. 
One  of  the  mission  halls  is  used  by  a  Norwegian 
settlement.  The  list  of  the  clergy  contains  31  names, 
including  the  professors  of  theology.  From  the  list 
of  the  clergy  in  Algeria  we  learn  the  fact  that  the 
Lutheran  Church  began  its  work  in  Africa  as  early 
as  1844  by  founding  an  orphanage  for  homeless  chil- 
dren of  French  settlers.  The  "Theological  Univer- 
sity" (faculty)  is  composed  of  six  doctors  of  divin- 
ity: Dean  Ed  Vancher,  Prof.  Vancher,  Ehrhart,  A. 
Lods,  of  the  Sorbonne,  Goguel  and  Yienot. 

There  are  a  number  of  "Church  institutions."  In- 
cluded among  these  are  the  following :  Lutheran  Mis- 
sion in  Madagascar — Benevolent  Society  looking  after 
the  poor — Deaconess  Home — Hospital — Friends  of 
the  Sick,  a  training  school  for  nurses — Old  Peoples' 
Home — Training  school  for  young  servants — Friends 
of  the  poor — Free  Loans  Society — Home  for  Old 
Ladies — The  Lambrecht's  Homes — Society  for  Be- 
friending Apprentices  and  Young  Workmen — Home 
for  Apprentices — Boys'  Boarding  School' — Billettes 
Orphanage — Other  Orphanages,  two  in  the  city  and 
one  outside  of  it.  Special  war  work:  Two  military 
hospitals  outside  of  the  city.  P.  Koser  sent  as  chap- 
lain to  3,000  Alsatian  refugees  in  the  Yosges. 
"Nearly  all  our  pastors  and  laymen  collaborate  ac- 
tively in  general  Christian  work." 

The  Diocese  of  Montbeliard   is   composed   of  48 

pastors,     (P.     Jaulmes,     inspector),     20     of    whom 

are    serving    in    the    army;    one    has    been    killed 

in    action.      The     list    of    the     names     of    pastors 

49 


is  ^ivc'ii,  and  then  of  the  eliureli  institu- 
tions as  follows:  Home  Mission  of  the  country  of 
Montbeliard,  following  up  dispersed  Protestants  and 
doing  evangelical  work  at  the  fortress  of  Belfort — 
Association  for  Indigent  Children — Glay  Institute, 
preparing  young  men  for  the  ministry — Protestant 
dispensaries  at  Montbeliard,  and  at  Belfort  as  a 
center  for  nurses  and  parish  deaconesses,  home  for 
girls,  soup-kitchen,  etc., — Children's  holiday  fund — 
Temperance  work — Hospitals  at  four  towns — Golden 
Cross  Home  for  poor  girls — Protestant  Girls'  School. 

The  Montbeliard  Lutherans  read  their  bi-weekly 
^'L'Ami  Chretien  des  Pamilles."  The  Lutherans 
in  Algeria  read  on  Sunday  "Le  Courrier  du 
Dimanche"  (Sunday),  published  in  North  Africa. 

There  are  about-  800,000  Protestants  in  Prance, 
one-tenth  of  whom  are  Lutherans.  The  smallness  of 
their  number  does  not  detract  anything  from  the 
respect  and  sympathy  we  have  for  them.  The  author 
of  the  centenary  aptly  compares  the  Church  in  Paris 
with  the  Church  of  Philadelphia  in  Rev.  3  :7-13,  and 
says,  "The  Spirit  says  to  us,  too,  'Hold  that  fast 
which  thou  hast,  that  no  man  take  thy  crown.'  " 

The  Mother  Church  of  Protestantism  has  been 
planted.  It  is  well  rooted.  It  is  our  privilege,  know- 
ing its  situation,  to  give  a  friendly  hand  and  aid 
in  its  cultivation,  that  we  may  insure  its  growth. 


50 


M.    G.    JAULMES, 
INSPECTUR   ECCLESIASTIQUE,    MONTBELIARD 


PAROISE   DE    CAMPAGXE,    MONTBELIARD 


CHAPTER  VI 

American  and  French  Lutheran 
Co-operation 

The  vicissitudes  of  the  world  war  have  drawn  the 
Lutherans  of  France  and  the  Lutherans  of  America 
into  closer  touch.  They  are  grasping  hands  across 
the  sea  and  seeking  to  lay  the  foundations  for  a 
fertile  collaboration  in  the  future. 

The  French  Lutheran  Church  about  the  time  of 
the  hearty  and  liberal  response  of  the  American 
Lutherans  to  the  appeal  of  our  National  Lutheran 
War  Commission  sent  to  the  Lutherans  of  this  coun- 
try through  this  commission  the  following  greetings : 

''The  United  States  of  America  and  France  were 
once  only  united  by  distant  souvenirs  recalled  to 
them  by  the  history  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Now, 
however,  the  two  peoples  are  again  joining  forces  in 
order  to  bring  about  the  triumph  of  the  fundamental 
principles  of  Christian  civilization,  and  our  children 
are  mingling  their  blood  on  the  field  of  battle.  In 
these  solemn  circumstances  we  Lutherans  of  France, 
members  of  a  church  which  was  mutilated  by  the 
violent  annexation  of  1871,  send  greeting  to  our 
American  brethren.  May  our  churches,  on  both  sides 
of  the  Atlantic,  become  more  and  more  the  ^salt  of 
the  earth' ;  may  the  bravery  of  the  fighting  men,  the 
fidelity  of  our  Christian  members,  and,  above,  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  prepare,  through  the  trial 
of  this  terrible  war,  a  new  era  of  justice  and  of  in- 
ternational fraternity." 

53 


Tn  re?»i)onse  to  tins  ftTootinji:  witli  the  approval  of 
tlie  (lovcriiiiuMit,  Liitlioniii  (\)iiuiii.ssi<nu'rg  liave  been 
sent  to  France.  These  official  n^presentatives  are 
the  Rev.  Charles  J.  Smith,  D.D.,  of  New  York  City, 
and  the  Hon  Frank  M.  Riter,  LL.D.,  of  Philadelphia. 

They  carried  with  them  the  credentials  of  the 
Commission,  greetings  to  the  French  Lutheran 
Church;  His  Excellency,  the  President  of  the 
French  Republic;  His  Excellency,  the  Ambassador 
of  the  United  States  of  America  to  the  French  Re- 
l)ul)lic  and  to  General  John  J.  Pershing. 

The  purpose  of  this  mission  and  commission  is 
tersely  expressed  in  the  Instructions  and  Authority 
given  by  the  National  Lutheran  Commission  to  these 
Commissioners  as  follows: 

Instructions  and  Authority  of  the  Commissioners 

L  To  convey  to  the  Lutheran  Church  in  France 
the  sincere  greetings  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in 
America. 

II.  To  ascertain  the  conditions  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  France,  with  especial  reference  to  the 
ability  of  the  French  Church  to  minister  to  soldiers 
of  the  American  Army  now  serving  in  that  country. 

III.  To  discover  in  what  manner  and  to  what 
extent  the  work  of  the  French  Church  can  be  aided 
by  the  Church  in  America,  remembering,  however, 
that  the  National  Lutheran  Commission  cannot  in 
any  way  bind  the  American  Church  to  make  good 
losses  entailed  by  the  destruction  of  church  property 
during  the  war  or  to  guarantee  the  support  of  pro- 
jects for  reconstruction  after  the  war  shall  end. 

54 


HON.  FRANK  M.  RITER,  LL.D., 
AMERICAN  LUTHERAN  COMMISSIONER  TO  FRANCE 


IV.  To  report  back  to  the  National  Lutheran 
Commission  the  results  of  these  inquiries,  which 
shall  be  communicated  through  the  National  Luth- 
eran Commission  to  its  constituent  bodies. 

Y.  To  invite  the  Lutheran  Church  of  France  to 
send  a  mission  to  America,  accompanying  you,  if 
possible,  upon  your  return. 

For  the  purposes  mentioned,  you  will  have  all  the 
powers  that  the  National  Commission  itself  possess, 
and  are  authorized  to  make,  at  your  discretion,  pre- 
liminary expenditures  of  money  up  to  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars;  any  expenditures  in  excess  of  that 
amount  shall  first  receive  the  approval  of  the  execu- 
tive Committee  of  the  National  Lutheran  Com- 
mission. 

The  spirit  in  which  the  Commissioners  have  been 
sent  and  in  which  they  engage  in  the  task  set  for 
them  are  best  illustrated  by  reproducing  the  Greet- 
ings which  they  bore  to  the  French  Church,  the 
President  of  the  French  Republic,  our  own  Ameri- 
can Ambassador  and  to  General  Pershing,  the  leader 
of  the  gallant  American  forces  which  include  so 
many  loyal  Lutheran  young  men. 

Greetings  to  the  French  Lutheran  Church 

In  these  days  of  grievous  trial,  when  God  is  prov- 
ing the  nations  and  sifting  the  hearts  of  men,  divid- 
ing those  that  have  been  as  one  and  joining  together 
those  that  have  been'  apart,  the  Lutheran  Church 
of  America  sends  greeting  to  the  Lutheran  Church 
in  France. 

Our  countries  have  in  the  past  shared  many  great 
traditions  and  many  high  ideals,  today  they  share 
57 


one  purpose.  Our  Chiirclie."^,  tlioii{:?h  divided  by  dif- 
ference of  language  and  separated  by  many  leagues 
of  land  and  sea,  liave  had  a  common  origin  and  have 
shared  a  single  Gospel  as  tliey  have  borne  a  single 
name;  today  they  are  united  in  a  common  duty. 
Our  sous,  by  many  thousands,  are  now  upon  the 
soil  of  France,  toiling  and  fighting  for  the  same 
high  cause  in  which  so  many  of  your  ov^n  already 
have  laid  down  their  lives.  The  ground  on  which 
their  blood  is  shed  will  henceforth  be  to  us  a  sacred 
soil  and  the  name  of  France  will  ever  awaken  in  us 
memories  of  heroic  sacrice. 

Of  you,  who  have  suffered  far  more  than  we  have 
yet  been  called  upon  to  do,  we  ask  what  we  can  do 
to  help;  and  to  you  we  commit  the  young  men  of 
our  armies  who  have  been  raised  in  the  same  faith 
with  you,  knowing  that  you  will  give  them  what 
care  and  comfort  it  is  in  your  power  to  bestow.  Our 
prayer  is  that  the  peace  which  follows  victory  may 
suffer  no  delay,  and  that  the  new  bonds  of  sympathy 
and  understanding  between  our  Churches  which  this 
war  will  forge,  may  unite  us  in  a  lasting  fellowship 
of  faith  and  of  all  good  works  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

Greetings  to  the  President  of  the  French  Republic 
The  Lutheran  Church  in  America  has  been  gath- 
ered out  of  many  nations  and  speaks  in  many  lan- 
guages. Today  its  members  are  consecrated  to  the 
tasks  of  patriotism  and  inspired  with  the  one  great 
purpose  that  animates  the  soul  of  France.  Our  sons 
are  fighting  side  by  side  with  yours  and  our  shoul- 
ders are  eager  to  receive  their  part  of  the  burden 
58 


THE  REV.  CHARLES   J.   SMITH,  D.D., 
AMERICAN  LUTHERAN  COMMISSIONER  TO  FRANCE 


that  you  have  borne  so  long.  We  greet  you  as  a 
leader  in  our  common  cause,  with  the  prayer  that 
your  victory  which  will  also  be  ours,  may  be  speedy 
and  complete. 

Greetings    to    Our    American    Ambassador 

The  Lutheran  Church  in  the  United  States  num- 
bers more  than  two  million  and  a  half  communicants 
and  more  than  five  million  souls.  Of  this  number 
more  than  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
have  entered  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United 
States,  by  draft  and  enlistment,  since  the  declaration 
of  war  in  nineteen  seventeen.  A  large  part  of  this 
number  is  now  serving  in  France.  Their  numbers 
are  a  pledge  of  the  Church's  loyalty  to  the  cause  of 
the  Allied  I^ations. 

This  greeting  will  be  handed  to  your  Excellency 
by  representatives  of  the  American  Lutheran  Church 
who  have  been  sent  on  a  special  mission  to  the  Luth- 
eran Church  of  France.  Their  mission  is  to  discover 
in  what  ways  the  Church  in  America  can  be  of  aid 
to  the  Church  of  France,  which  has  suffered  griev- 
ously by  the  war,  and  also  to  endeavor  to  secure  the 
interest  of  the  Church  in  France  in  the  sons  of  our 
xVmerican  Church  now  serving  in  that  country.  Any 
aid  that  your  Excellency  may  afford  them  will 
be  deeply  appreciated  by  some  millions  of  Americans. 

Greetings  to  General  John  J.  Pershing 

Since   April   of   the   year   nineteen   hundred   and 

seventeen,  the  Lutheran  Churches  of  America  have 

given  to  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States 

more  than   two   hundred   and   twenty-five  thousand 

61 


of  tlieir  .sons.  They  have  g'iven  tliein  j^hidly  and 
ungrudgingly,  for  they  have  recognized  that  the 
cause  in  which  our  nation  is  at  war  is  just  and 
sacred.  Our  prayers  for  victory  are  as  earnest  as 
our  hope  of  victory  is  sure.  It  is  our  desire  that  you 
should  have  from  the  hands  of  our  representatives 
in  France  this  direct  and  personal  assurance  that 
our  dearest  earthly  hopes  are  centered  upon  you  and 
the  men  that  you  command,  and  that  our  prayers 
are  with  you  night  and  day. 

■?f     *     * 

Our  American  people  have  new  national  ideals. 
The  world  war  has  given  to  us  an  international  out- 
look. The  hardships  and  the  perils  of  these  war 
days  have  created  new  conceptions  of  religion  and 
given  a  new  trend  and  impetus  to  religious  think- 
ing and  Christian  consciousness.  In  the  new  and 
we  trust  better  andi  safer  world  that  is  to  be  as  a 
result  of  the  baptism  in  the  blood  of  the  nations  there 
will  be  a  spirit  of  brotherhood  and  of  Christian 
earnestness  w^hich  will  assure  success  to  those  who 
realize  their  opportunities  and  their  privileges. 

Our  Lutherans  represented  in  so  many  lands  and 
speaking  so  many  tongues  have  the  opportunity  not 
only  in  name  but  in  fact,  to  prove  themselves  an 
international,  evangelical  force  for  the  healing  and 
the  saving  of  the  nations. 

That  we  may  learn  to  know  still  better  our  French 
brethren  in  the  faith,  and  effect  a  permanent  co- 
operation with  them  and  with  the  people  of  all 
tongues  and  climes  who  subscribe  the  faith  of  the 
Mother  Church  of  Protestantism  should  be  our 
62 


prayer  and  our  aim.  If  this  little  volume  will  help 
in  cultivating  this  spirit  and  attaining  these  aimy 
it  will  fully  justify  its  publication. 

W.  L.  H. 


63 


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The  Lutheran  church  in  Paris 


